Photo by 4kodiak via iStock
I know what you’re thinking…
Is shrimp really camping food?
Well, in my book it is! And once you try this recipe, you’ll be a firm believer in preparing shrimp as a tasty camping dish.
As you probably know by now, I really enjoy cooking, and I really enjoy camping, so combining the two is a favorite pursuit of mine. Sure, I can throw some hot dogs on the fire and call it good, but why eat plain old hot dogs when I can have flavor-packed shrimp for dinner?
Now, you can cook campfire shrimp in a couple of ways – in a cast-iron skillet with loads of butter and some salt and pepper, or you can make campfire shrimp kabobs with a little lemon juice and garlic. Either way, they can turn out beautifully delicious.
But for our purposes here, I’ll focus my attention on campfire shrimp kabobs.
Easy Campfire Shrimp Kabob Recipe
When you’re camping or overlanding, you might not want to have an overly complex recipe for dinner, so something like shrimp kabobs over the fire is a great solution. They are very tasty, only require a few ingredients, and with the right cooking gear, they’re easy to make, too.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1/8 tsp. finely chopped parsley
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
You’ll also need some cooking spray and some metal skewers to make the campfire shrimp kabobs.
Process:
- Defrost the shrimp, rinse thoroughly, and dry
- In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, parsley, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. When combined, pour into a Ziploc bag.
- Add the shrimp to the Ziploc bag, ensuring that you squeeze out all the air in the bag. Toss the shrimp in the bag to ensure even coating on each shrimp. Place in the refrigerator or a cooler for two hours to marinate.
- Get a campfire going. You’ll want good coals and a medium flame. If using a campsite fire ring, thoroughly clean it and spray it with cooking spray. (I use the Schenk for preparing shrimp in this way as it gives me much more precise control over the cooking experience. More on the Schenk momentarily). Also spray the skewers with cooking spray.
- Allow the grill grate to preheat.
- Put 5-8 shrimp on each kabob and cook until the shrimp are bright pink with opaque meat. This should take about five minutes. Take care not to overcook.
- Enjoy!
Why Campfire Shrimp Kabobs are So Simple
Obviously, there aren’t many ingredients in this recipe, which gets us started off on the right foot in terms of simplicity. There’s not a ton of prep work, either, so it isn’t a recipe that requires you to spend hours and hours getting everything ready.
In fact, you can thaw the shrimp at home, prepare the marinade, and throw the bag of shrimp in the fridge or cooler to marinate as you drive to camp. Once there, get your fire going, preheat the grill grate, add the shrimp to the skewers, and you’ll have delicious campfire shrimp kabobs in a few minutes’ time.
I take a further step to make this recipe for campfire shrimp kabobs (and many other recipes, for that matter), even simpler – I use the Schenk from J.A. Schenk Co. as my primary cooking implement when I’m camping or overlanding.
Think of the Schenk as a jack-of-all-trades cooking accessory that allows you to grill, cook with a cast-iron pan or pot, and boil water in a kettle for your favorite hot drinks.
Essentially, the Schenk is a vertical steel rod with a foot at the base that you position by the campfire. Then, using the included cooking ring and locking keys, you can position the height of the cooking surface right over the flames, up high for cooler heat, or somewhere in between depending on your needs. Add the included grill on top of the cooking ring for applications like this shrimp recipe, or bring your favorite cast-iron skillet and cook shrimp that way if you like!
The Schenk is dead-simple to use, too. It takes just a moment to set up, and with its sturdy foot stabilizer (or an optional fire ring attachment) you get a rock-solid surface for cooking an awesome meal.
Better yet, you can cook multiple foods at the same time – grill some burgers on the grill while making some cast-iron potatoes while also heating up some water for hot chocolate.
In that way, you can get cooking quickly, cook multiple dishes at once, and when you’re done, it only takes a few moments to deconstruct the whole thing and put it back neat and tidy in its gorgeous Wannigan box.
Cooking is loads of fun, but it’s even more fun when you have the ability to tailor the cooking experience to your specific needs. And having cooking tools that are easy to set up, clean, and take down sure helps too!
Give this shrimp recipe a try, and give the Schenk a try while you’re at it too – you won’t be disappointed!